Superbowl 2017 : Thoughts from Dan Wilson, Head of Data at Fetch, Chris Cardew, Head of Strategy at Mindshare and Duncan Wynn, Director of Sales at Sky Media
Very soon the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots will go to battle on Super Bowl Sunday, but the big game’s advertisers are already vying for the win.
With Fox selling ad space at more than $5 million for each 30-second spot, companies seeking brand visibility on the world’s largest stage are risking an expensive disappointment if their commercials fall flat. But with last year’s Super Bowl drawing nearly 112 million viewers, a massive audience is guaranteed.
Dan Wilson, Head of Data at Fetch
“For any UK brands doubting the lure of the Super Bowl, it should be remembered that American culture, now more than ever, has become an obsession for UK consumers. From keeping up with the Trumps to anticipating Oscar nominees, we continue to watch the US closely.
“The Super Bowl is a US import that has taken to the global stage and is unique, both in terms of its sky-high viewership and the level of creativity that brands adopt to showcase their message. However, with eye-wateringly high ad slots and diminished viewer attention spans, brands should turn their focus towards mobile.
“From previous years we’ve seen that TV advertising causes approximately a 25% increase in mobile activity, with users ‘second screening’ to download apps immediately after viewing ads, tweeting, and posting on social platforms. Therefore in-app placement or a paid tweet may provide better ROI than a TV ad.”
Chris Cardew, Head of Strategy, Mindshare
“No other annual sporting event in the world can match the level of entertainment value that the Super Bowl offers consumers. The star studded half time show and the ad breaks alone are enough to attract a mass audience, and in the US especially, given the extent to which it permeates culture, if you don’t watch you’ll most definitely feel like an odd one out.
“This is what it makes it so compelling for advertisers, it’s pretty much the only sporting and TV event in the US (election debate aside) that has the ability to draw an audience spanning gender, age, demographic and geography. This makes it a highly effective platform for communicating at scale, and given the increasing global attention it receives through social media and digital live streaming, it’s an effective platform for driving organic reach for campaigns through the global open web.
“While we are increasingly consuming content on mobile devices, the Super Bowl proves that event TV still has the power to bring people together for a shared viewing experiences. For mass market brands where SOV is key for driving SOM, that is an incredibly important moment to tap into. However, this is not to say that advertising in the Super Bowl is contained to TV. Many brands release their Super Bowl ad’s online a few weeks in advance of the event and focus as much on social video distribution at the same time as the ‘on air’ broadcast.
“The future of television advertising as we already know is not just about planning spots to reach ‘TV audiences’, it’s about TV being a component part of a much bigger video distribution and engagement strategy to reach an audience at different times across multiple platforms, in a variety of different moments.”
Duncan Wynn, Director of Sales, Sky Media
“While American Football continues to grow its following in the UK – the impact is just not the same. In an advertising sense the Super Bowl is a key example of the perfect combination of live and event TV – each country has their own example of a Super Bowl moment. It’s an opportunity for massive audiences to come together as friends, as family, at home or in pubs.
This event TV needs to be watched live, you want to watch it with others and you want to watch in on the biggest screen in the house. The must watch, talked about content creates an ideal opportunity for advertisers to connect with consumers in a highly-engaged environment – something you just don’t get with any other media.”
.@Snickers To Air First Live Super Bowl Ad https://t.co/ST5dUJNi0F @mp_mcclellan
— Will Corry (@slievemore) January 27, 2017